


The Lady From the Tea Shop

by Ryuichi



Category: Hakuouki, Hakuouki: Kyoto Winds
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Heisuke's route, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-04 23:02:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15851217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryuichi/pseuds/Ryuichi
Summary: Post the events from Aburano Koji, you find it more and more difficult to see Heisuke as your worries grow stronger each day. You desperately try to think of a plan, but nothing comes to mind until one day Harada and Nagakura come up with something rather reckless, but not easy to decline.





	The Lady From the Tea Shop

Ever since Aburano Koji you’ve been trying to think of various reasons to make it possible to meet up with Heisuke. Which proved to be much harder than you’d had anticipated; between your usual chores for the Shinsengumi and all the secrecy surrounding the Fury Corps it was difficult to find a reasonable enough excuse to visit Heisuke, other than the fact you were worried, but you were pretty sure that if you were to tell that to Hijikata-san he would most likely give you a death stare and order you to never ask him that ever again. Nearly the thought of that almost made you shiver, so you quickly dismissed that as an option.

 

You sighed, frustrated, as you made your way through the courtyard for your daily sweeping of the compound. It had been days… “Or was it weeks since I’d last spoken normally to Heisuke?” you thought, as you absentmindedly grabbed the broom laid up on the wall. You mostly saw him during meetings which were hardly a place to talk, so you just stared at each other across the rooms earning yourselves angry stares from Hijikata-san and teasing from Nagakura-san and Harada-san until it got too awkward to even get your eyes anywhere near Heisuke. Another sigh escaped your lips. But then you remembered that a few nights ago you had accidentally stumbled upon him in the halls; you had just finished washing the dishes left from dinner and were dragging your feet through the halls, wishing nothing but to just lie down and sleep, when you bumped into someone. You were just about to start bowing and apologizing when your eyes met Heisuke’s, there was a bittersweet smile on his face as he gently put his hand on your head.

 

“Heisuke…”

“Good evening, Chizuru.”

“I…”

You had no idea you’d find him at this hour of night, but when you thought about it it wasn’t even that surprising, he had probably been attending a meeting and yet you were at a loss of words for whatever reason.

“How are-”

Heisuke was about to say something, but both of you heard footsteps; someone was coming from down the hall where the common rooms was.

“Sorry, Chizuru. I have to go, but I’m glad I got to see you. Take care, okay?”

His face stretched in a wide grin and he quickly disappeared behind a corner. You stood there, still staring at the place he had been standing just a few second ago until the footsteps become loud enough for you to know whoever this was he was now behind you. You turned around and saw Okita-san’s face wearing a slightly confused expression.

“Huh? It’s you. What are you doing here in the middle of the hall? Snooping around again?”

You usually didn’t care for Okita-san’s snide remarks, after all he had been like this ever since you had started living with the Shinsengumi, but this time you were a bit annoyed.

“What?”

Before you could say anything you felt your face form a frown. Okita-san’s eyes widened, surprised at your unusual reaction.

“Have a good night, Okita-san,” was the only thing you could bring yourself to say before you turned around and started walking off.

“What was that all about…” you heard Okita-san mutter under his nose as you opened the door to your room

You nearly laughed thinking back on the situation and made a note to yourself to apologize to Okita-san the next time you saw him, after all he had just happened to pass through the hall, it wasn’t his fault you couldn’t spend a bit more time with Heisuke. And then your face faltered once again. You couldn’t even tell him to take care of himself, you didn’t ask how he was doing, you just stared at him dumbfounded. Why did he look so sad? Did something happen? Was it because of the meeting?

“Oi, oi, Chizuru, calm down with that broom.”

Harada-san’s voice pulled you out of this never ending cycle of thoughts. You just noticed your hands were practically clenching the broom and you were sweeping so furiously that there had been a big cloud of dust surrounding you.  
Nagakura-san was right next to Harada-san and both of them looked amused until you showed your face to them.

“Ah, Harada-san, Nagakura-san, good morning…”

“Oi, what’s with that face Chizuru?” asked Nagakura-san taking a step towards you and examining your face.

“You sick or something?”

“Ah, no, no, there’s nothing to worry about, really. I’m fine, everything is okay.”

You glanced at the Yagi residence just like you’ve been doing all day during the past weeks and tried to contain your sigh. Maybe you could send him a letter, you could at least try asking Hijikata-san about it. With these thoughts in your mind you heard Harada-san’s laugh ring in your ears.

“I see what all of this is about.”

I looked at him confused and he grinned placing both hands on his sides.

“Huh?” Nagakura-san was just as confused as you, or perhaps even more. 

“Sano, what are you talking about? What’s wrong with Chizuru?”

But Harada-san continued to laugh and glance back and forth from you and to the residence.

“Hey, Sano, you bastard, what the hell are you laughing about?!” Nagakura-san’s confusion had quickly grown into anger, but you were still staring at Harada-san trying to desperately understand what he meant. Then all of a sudden he stopped laughing and gave you a meaningful look.

“You are worried about Heisuke, aren’t you, Chizuru?” His words threw you completely off guard and your eyes widened with surprise.

“Harada-san! How did you know?”

He snorted.

“Your face is like an open book. I read "Heisuke” all over it.“

You looked away from his eyes embarrassed and hoping your blushing wasn’t too obvious.  
Then Nagakura-san grinned and folded his arms.

"Is that so, eh? Man, that Heisuke is lucky.”

For a while they just exchanged lines, happy at their discovery much to your chagrin. You didn’t know what to say and just stared at the ground, still clenching the broom in one hand.

“You wanna see him?”

Their faces didn’t have that teasing look anymore and instead were replaced with a reassuring smile.

“I… I worry about him,” you said glancing once again at the residence in the distance. It was just a hundred metres away and yet it seemed farther than ever.  
Harada-san smiled, his eyes burning with mischief.

“Okay, how about you two meet tonight, what do you say?”

You stared at him trying to comprehend his words. Meet him? Of course, you wanted to meet him, but there were so many things preventing you from doing that. That one time you managed to sneak up there was because most of the men and captains weren’t at the compound, now it was nearly impossible, there were patrols during all hours of the night, and to make matters worse it was usually captains of the Shinsengumi making the patrols around the Fury Corps; if any of them were to see you, especially Hijikata-san… you shuddered at the thought. It would be big trouble and causing troubles for Heisuke was the last thing you wanted to do.

“Of course I want to see him, but I can’t just walk in there, can I? You know the rules…”

“Yeah, yeah, we know rules,” said Nagakura-san and you saw his eyes had the same mischievous glow. “But we also know to bend the rules. 

"But how? If Hijikata-san finds out I will… Heisuke will-”

“Hey, hey, calm down, Chizuru.” Harada-san put a hand on your shoulder and smiled.“Listen, in about an hour Hijikata-san will call us to give out orders for tonight’s patrols, he usually puts Souji but today me and Shinpachi will volunteer.”

“But… don’t you think that will be a bit suspicious?”

“Huh, why?” asked Nagakura-san. 

“Well, because…”

You didn’t want to offend them, but had no idea how else to put it into words.

“Because you never really volunteer for anything…”

Their faces faltered, their pride had clearly taken a hit, but it almost looked comical.

“That may be true…” spoke Harada-san" but today we will pleasantly surprise our captain. He won’t suspect a thing, trust us, okay?“

Harada-san winked at you and you couldn’t help but smile at his confidence.

"Thank you so much, and sorry you have to go through that because of me,” you didn’t know what else to say and instead bowed deeply.

Harada-san laughed and patted your head while still bowed.

“Don’t worry about it, Chizuru.”

“That’s right!” Nagakura-san chimed in. “We want to help, so you don’t worry your pretty little head over it.”

After that you spent a good amount of time making up a plan until Hijikata-san called for Harada-san and Nagakura-san. You waited anxiously for them to come back and tried to do whatever work you can find around the compound. You kept on glancing at the Yagi residence, but no one was ever going in or out, the place looked grim and as if stopped in time. It was almost like neither Heisuke, nor Sanan-san were ever there. But it was no wonder, both of them being Furies they were most likely sleeping right at that moment.  
A couple of minutes passed and a new wave of anxiety washed over you, but just then you saw Harada-san and Nagakura-san walking over with big grins on their faces. Apparently, Hijikata-san had let them do the patrols, although he couldn’t hide his surprise.  
Now all that was left was to wait.

You sat still in your room while just a few metres away from you the Shinsengumi captains were having their usual night meeting and Heisuke was probably there. This time you weren’t asked to make them tea, so that meant you weren’t allowed to enter unless they called for you.  
Harada-san and Nagakura-san were supposed to tell Heisuke to meet you exactly at midnight at the entrance of the Yagi residence. You sighed. It’s not like you didn’t trust, but you couldn’t ignore the worry and anxiety welled up in your chest, either. What if he wasn’t at the meeting? What if he didn’t want to see you? You violently shook your head. It wasn’t the time to have such thoughts, so you did your best to chase them away and continued waiting.  
At some moment, you heard footsteps coming near your room and you concluded the meeting was over. This was probably Okita-san’s footsteps since you knew his room was down the hall a little after yours. And soon enough you saw his silhouette pass by and just when you expected it to disappear he stopped. He had probably seen that the candles were still lit and you cursed yourself for being so reckless.

“Having trouble sleeping, Yukimura?”

“Could he just for once not comment on something?” you thought to yourself while preparing to answer.

“Uhm… yeah, a bit. Did the meeting go well?”

He snickered. 

“As well you’d expect it these days. Hijikata-san doesn’t let anything escape him, I’m pretty sure he’d kill me if I make another joke…”

The last words sounded more like he had spoken them to himself, but you could easily believe what he was saying. He straightened himself up and spoke again:

“Anyway, it’s nothing you should concern yourself with, you hear?”

He didn’t wait for an answer and just continued down the hall with the same  
steady pace.

Another hour passed and you started to get antsy. Usually, you’d try to read the book Kondou-san had lent you, but with the candles out that couldn’t happen. You felt like pacing around a bit, but you were scared you’d maybe wake someone up, even your breathing started to sound too loud at some a moment.

You heard the bell announcing the hour once again. 1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9, nine bells, so that meant midnight had finally come. You rose up from your futon and allowed yourself to take a deep breath before stepping out of the room as quiet as you possibly could. You looked around, but there weren’t a single soul outside. You made your way through the courtyard, glancing everywhere around you until you finally found yourself in from the Yagi residence. Heisuke was still nowhere to be seen but you ordered yourself to wait. And now that you were so close to seeing him excitement and happiness started to push back all of the anxiety that had piled up in your chest. You glanced around for maybe the fifth time and shifted your weight on your other leg. Just then you heard the door open. You turned around and sure enough it was Heisuke, his face stretched in a grin. You couldn’t help but smile widely at the sight of him and whatever anxiety was left it quickly melted away.

“I thought you wouldn’t come,” you said trying to tease him.

He immediately frowned.

“What, how could you say that, Chizuru?!”

You giggled and he glared at you.

“Hey, now…”

But no sooner had he started talking than he started laughing, too. Then he seemed to have remembered where you were when his face became serious and he looked around.

“Come on, Chizuru, we can’t talk here.”

“Where are we going?”

“Just trust me and come with me.”

He extended a hand and you grabbed it without hesitating even for a second, he smiled and you two started walking.  
Heisuke led you further behind the building. The place was quite overgrown with vegetation, there were even vines on the bench that Heisuke sat down, but you thought it was perfect.  
Heisuke tapped the place right next to him and you quickly sat down. He beamed at you.

“I’m so glad to see you, Chizuru,” his smile was illuminated by the moon and you realized how much you’d miss that smile that you so often used to see and that brightened your day and cheered you up every time.

“Me, too, Heisuke,” your smiled hadn’t fallen of your face since the moment you two met each other and you already felt your cheeks hurting. But it was a pain you didn’t mind.

Then Heisuke laughed and laid back into the bench.

“Seriously, Sano-san and Shin-san… I almost didn’t believe them. Never thought  
they’d sacrifice their night for me like this.”

You also laughed as well, but then said:

“Don’t say that, they are your friends, Heisuke.”

He nodded enthusiastically, but then his face took on a more serious look.

“They said you worry about me.”

You looked away, slightly embarrassed, but the smile was still on your face.

“Well… it’s true. I rarely see you anymore and I know you’re frustrated because you had to take the serum, well… perhaps, “frustrated” is putting it lightly, but what I mean is that–”

“Chizuru.”

You turned to look at him and the playful and boyish smile had been replaced by a warm and calm one. It almost the same as the night he got injured, you could never forget his face back then.

“You don’t have to worry now,” his voice was just as warm and you felt your heart beating slightly faster. “You don’t have to think about all of this stuff.”

“But… I can’t think not to.”

“Oh, is that so?” he thoughtfully stroked his chin and then his face suddenly brightened up, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. “I know what we could think about instead.”

Heisuke lowered himself down and put his head on your shoulder. You jumped up a bit and he laughed.

“I want to think… about that sweet young lady I met at the tea shop one day. The way she smiled at me, and the way her face looked when I talked to her about the weather for whole ten minutes.”

Heisuke laughed once again and you couldn’t help but do the same remembering that day. It was a special memory for you, it still made you feel happy and warm whenever it popped up in your mind. The wall that was put between you and him that day felt taller than ever, even though he was sitting right next to you. But you were happy, happy that you could finally see him and that you fulfilled your promise to wear a kimono. At that time you were just two normal people having a conversation, so those simple words about the food or weather meant more than anything you had spoken to each other until then.

“Ah, what I wouldn’t give to see her again in that kimono, with her hair down making those big eyes of hers stand out even more.”

You were blushing uncontrollably, but the happiness was written all over your face as you listened to Heisuke, now closer than he has ever been.  
Suddenly, he removed his head from your shoulder and looked at you. Even though he was no longer human you couldn’t feel even the smallest of changes that would make him feel like something different other than a human being.

“Heisuke… I want you to know, that whatever you think about yourself, whatever horrible thoughts go through your mind, you will always be the same for me. 

Your body may not be human anymore, but I know that your heart is.”

Heisuke’s laughter rang through the air.

“You really do know how to always cheer me up, Chizuru. Amazing.”

Your heart swelled with happiness and suddenly a thought occurred to you. You reached your hands up for your hair and Heisuke gave you a puzzled look. You slowly started to untie the knot holding your hair in a tight tail while Heisuke didn’t take his eyes of even for a second. Finally, you were done and your hair spilled down on your shoulders, tickling your cheeks. Heisuke looked as if stunned until a slight smile slowly formed on his lips. His hand lifted up and reached to touch your face. His eyes looked so soft as he gently stroked your cheek and you thought that was first time you had ever seen him like that. You looked at every part of his face, trying to memorize everything exactly as it was. Heisuke looked like he was about to say something, but a noise from somewhere in the distance interrupted.

“Oi.”

This voice…  
I figure stepped out from the shadows and the moonlight revealed the face of Hijikata-san looking so furious he was almost unrecognizable.

“A demon?!” you whispered. Heisuke failed to suppress his laugh and Hijikata-san gave him one of his worst death stares. If looks could kill he would have been dead, Fury or no Fury.

“What the hell are you two doing?” his voice was calm but that made it even more scary.

“How did you find us here…?” you said more to yourself rather than to him, but he immediately fixed his gaze on you making you move even closer to Heisuke.

“Of course I’d found you when the whole compound could hear you laughing like idiots!”

“Ah… Ehm… You see, Hijikata-san,” Heisuke started explaining, but it was clear he had nothing to say and the extreme blush on his face was making it worse.

You had to do something. It was your fault after all, you couldn’t let Heisuke suffer all the consequences.

“Hijikata-san, please, listen to me! I asked him to meet me, I was worried about him, it’s my fault!” 

 

“Hey, Chizuru don’t–” Heisuke tried to stop you but you didn’t care.

“Don’t punish him, please! And… don’t punish Harada-san and Nagakura-san.  
Please, I beg you! If someone has to be punished it has to be me!”

You had already stood up while speaking those words and finished them by bowing as low as your body allowed it.

“Chizuru–”

“Quiet!” Hijikata-san shouted making both of you jump.

For a while he just stood there, not uttering a single word and it felt like the silence dragged on forever while you prayed for Heisuke. Dozens of horrible scenarios started going through your head and cold sweat started rolling down your forehead when you heard a deep and tired sigh come from Hijikata-san. You slowly and carefully lifted up your head and saw the man that just a minute ago had looked like a demon in a human form, to now look just tired and exhausted. He closed his eyes pinching the bridge of his nose.

“If you were one of my men,” he spoke quietly while glancing at you and then moving his gaze onto Heisuke, ”and you weren’t already a Fury I would make both if you commit seppuku right now, at this moment.”

You froze, but remembered this was already the second time you’d been told that. A smile threatened to appear on your lips, but you quickly suppressed it.  
Hijikata-san sighed once again and looked at both of you, his expression unreadable.

“I’m… going to give you just thirty more minutes, not even a minute more, and then I want both of you gone from here. I will be back to check and if you’re still here laughing like a bunch of airheads I will kill you. Without a warning.”

You and Heisuke immediately started bowing and thanking him in unison. Hijikata-san scoffed turning around and disappeared back into the shadows.

“Well, look at that, a demon with a heart!” exclaimed Heisuke after a few seconds.

“Shh, Heisuke!” you tried to be serious, but a smile was also playing on your lips. 

“He might hear you!”

“Oh, he did, I’m sure.”

You shook your head, but couldn’t erase the happiness off your face. Heisuke grinned.

“Sorry for that, Chizuru.”

“Don’t say that, it was my idea after all.”

“I guess Sano-san and Shin-san weren’t very convincing…”

“Is anyone even able to fool Hijikata-san…?”

“Nope.”

You continued talking as quietly as possible, stifling your laughter as best as you could and before you know it, the thirty minutes were gone. You walked with Heisuke to the doors of the Yagi residence and he smiled at you awkwardly before putting a hand on the door.

“Thank you so much for doing this Chizuru. I had… a great time, even though I almost died as well.”

You thanked him and apologized a couple of times, and it was time to go. It felt like both of you had to do something, a simple “good night” didn’t seem enough, but neither of you knew what this was, so you just promised each other to meet again and parted ways.  
You were walking down the hall to your door, and no matter how hard you tried you couldn’t remove the smile off your face. You were happy like you’ve never been in years. The adrenaline was still rushing through your body and you thought you could maybe walk around the courtyard a bit. And just when that thought crossed your mind you heard a door open somewhere in the distance. Your eyes widened with fear and you remembered a certain demon’s face as you quickened your pace. Finally you were in your room, the door closed behind you and you breathed a sigh of relief.  
You slipped in your futon and as soon as you closed your eyes you could see Heisuke’s face and hear his laugh ring in your eyes. When you woke the other day you were pretty sure you slept with a smile on your face throughout the whole night.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! This is my first fic for Hakuouki, I absolutely fell in love with this game and just had to write something about Heisuke boi. Hope you like it!  
> You can follow me on Tumblr if you want, I'll probably only post stuff about Hakuouki: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ryuichichan


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